


Habeas Corpus

by The Big Roman (Hammocker)



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Developing Relationship, Language Barrier, M/M, Merpeople, Moral Ambiguity, Roman Sionis doesn't have time for this shit, Science Experiments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-15 20:36:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16070846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hammocker/pseuds/The%20Big%20Roman
Summary: Roman's philanthropic pursuits had brought him to some strange situations over the years, but none quite compared to finding himself face-to-face with an all-too-familiar creature behind plexiglass. He prided himself on keeping a professional distance from his charity investments, and this wouldn't be any different.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I consider this fic to be a sister fic to [Phantom Shallows](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598368/chapters/36215418), another JayRoman fic of mine. Where that fic tries to present a more scientifically plausible lens on the idea of Merfolk, this fic is straight up magic hybrid fish people, but I'm still trying to keep the world and reaction around these people/animals reasonable.
> 
> This will probably be another JayRoman fic I trudge along with. I have a ton of JayRoman WIPs sitting around, and I'd like to push a few of them out while focusing on others. Thank you for your patience.

Aside from the faint whiff of chlorine, the lab seemed like any other lab.

Despite that, the woman, who just barely came up to his chest, seemed immensely proud of it as she lead him around the facility. Well, of course she had act that way, considering he had, apparently, agreed to fund 75% of the damn thing.

“This is our lab. We’re working on DNA sequencing of the specimen, and observing his cells under various conditions. Some medical preparations have to be done here as well”

Roman listened in aloof silence, sweeping his gaze across the sterile room from a viewing window. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d funded a scientific endeavor, this one just happened to have a hell of a bill attached to it, and he wanted to know where that money was going. So far he couldn’t see it; it was the standard benches, bracketed shelves, ventilated workstations. It was a little cleaner than some that he’d seen, but it didn’t strike him as too advanced. Certainly not enough to justify the exorbitant amounts that he’d put into the place

“We found him in good shape, given what he’s been through, but we don’t want to take chances on that,” Ms. Vaughn continued.

Honestly, at this point he wasn’t even entirely sure what she was talking about.

“But I’m sure you’re more interested in where we keep the specimen,” she said, probably sensing his growing boredom, and lead him off towards a heavy, industrial type door.

“It is a 500,000 gallon tank,” she started, turning the door’s latch and holding it open for Roman. “It’s capable of holding up to six individuals comfortably, but we only have FM-03 right now.”

Roman took the hint and headed through, finding himself in a rounded, narrow room, barely more than a hallway. On one side, curved windows offered a view into the tank, while on the other, a couple of computer desks sat unused. Probably cleared out for his visit, if the haphazard mess of papers on the left desk was any indication.

Roman peered through the windows, squinting through the blurry, darkened water. “But he was captured with two others?”

Vaughn paused and looked away from him, like it was a particularly inane question.

“Rescued,” she corrected. “All three individuals were found stranded, though, we’re not sure if they’re all related. 03 was found on the same beach, but he only appeared a few days after the first two. They’re at another private facility in Georgia.”

Roman didn’t say anything to that as they approached another door. In truth, he couldn’t find it in himself to be concerned at the whereabouts of some fish’s friends, or whatever they turned out to be.

“Now, we’re going to head into the main observation deck,” she warned him. “Once you’re in there, the glass is not a two way mirror. He can see you through the glass. Please don’t approach beyond the white line, and note that he may react poorly to prolonged eye contact.”

Simple enough. Somehow Roman couldn’t imagine himself even bothering to make eye contact. He wanted to be in and out on their little science project as soon as possible.

She opened the door for him, and allowed Roman to walk in first. Immediately, Roman was struck by how dark the room was. Only mild blacklight allowed him to see the group of people inside, some farther in the back, sitting and holding tablets, while one stood in the front beneath a glass window.

Then, there in the water was the thing he’d heard so much about. Roman hesitated for a moment as he stared at it. From the waist up, it could have just as easily been any young man he saw on the streets of Gotham. Fit, dark-haired, defined features. Below that, though, was another story. Where legs should have been was a thick tail fin, covered in reflective scales. Occasionally the fin twitched one way or another horizontally, like it was preparing to swim away, but didn’t for one reason or another. All across its body were a number of scars that looked to be a mix of bites, long scratches, and blunt trauma.

Roman had to admit, he could understand why these people were interested. They probably could have used their skills better elsewhere still, but he could see some of the appeal.

It braced itself against the glass with one arm and floated partially on his side like it was easy. In front of him were projections, rotating images of abstract three dimensional shapes. It tapped one image with its free hand, then a new set would appear, and again it made a choice.

“Spatial awareness testing,” Vaughn murmured to Roman.

Roman wasn’t sure why a fish-boy’s spatial awareness was particularly interesting, but he supposed that these were the professionals here.

The same went on for a few more minutes, with the thing giving its selection over and over. Roman couldn’t have said if he was doing well or not, seeing as he had no idea what was expected. Although, after not too long, it seemed like the thing was just picking the picture on the right.

As quickly as it had started, it ended, with a disembodied whistle and the call of the scientist in the front.

“Alright, break, then we’ll try again.”

Now, Roman could see and hear that it was a woman, as she turned around to exit the white-taped zone around the window. The thing in the water didn’t move from its spot. It took its hand off the glass and floated where it was, but it didn’t leave like Roman had thought it wanted to. But Roman didn’t have time to think about that as the woman approached him.

“Mr. Sionis, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, reaching out to offer a handshake. “I’m the head researcher here, Doctor Stroman.”

He didn’t have to look down to meet her eyes at least, and he met her offer with a firm grip. Stroman gave a solid handshake at least.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Roman responded coolly before gesturing towards the window. “And that’s what you’re researching?”

“Right,” she confirmed with a nod, glancing from Roman to the thing intermittently. “The initial plan we had for the facility was for general marine mammal research, but that changed when this specimen was made available to us. This species is only known from remains and photos, so having one live for study has been enlightening.”

“Enlightening how exactly? What can you tell me about it?”

“Well, we know that ours is a male-”

“That’s not obvious?”

“You can never assume with a new species, you do have to check,” she answered, before continuing, “- and, by our estimates, he’s in his 20s.”

“How do you know?”

“His teeth, and comparison with other specimens, extant and deceased,” she explained. “We think their lifespans are similar to ours, so he’s pretty young as far as we can tell.”

“I can believe it.” He eyed the glass again, and found that the creature had started pacing back and forth, belly-up. “Surprised it hasn’t swam off. What kind of reinforcement do you use to train it to come over and stay?”

“No training, right now he’s chosen to stay behind. We try not to use reinforcement wherever possible,” Stroman said, following Roman’s gaze. “The idea is to gauge his intelligence, not how easily we can condition him. He decides whether to comply with our tests or not, which he generally will. We only use food rewards in certain tests to indicate correct answers.”

Roman was tempted to ask what practical use that had before reminding himself that this was less investment, more philanthropy. Even just looking at the thing, he could imagine charging tourists to have a look at the fish-boy. Something told him that no one there would be open to the idea, but he likely could have seized their assets if he really wanted to.

He opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could, someone else spoke.

“If he makes any,” one researcher in the back of the room piped up.

“What’s that mean?” Roman asked, glancing from the interrupter back to Stroman. “It’s stupid?”

She sighed and gave Roman a tentative glance before clarifying, “I don’t think so, but he barely gets correct answers anymore, even given a food incentive.”

“Anymore? It used to?”

“Yes, consistently. This past month, though, he’s been- sporadic, to be generous.”

“Any idea why?”

“There are some potential theories floating, but none with enough support from our findings.”

“Such as?”

A man sitting behind a desktop piped up, “Well, I don’t think he cares for his living conditions, or any of the people here. Why should he? No one’s done anything but pick his brain since he got here. What inherent satisfaction could he possibly experience from our tests?”

Something told Roman that this guy wasn’t talking to him, not really.

“He interacts because he’s bored and has nothing else to do,” the man declared, giving Dr. Stroman a pointed gaze. “You can’t expect normal results given abnormal stimulus.”

“We barely know anything about the psychology of his species, or if its brain works like a human’s, how can you call him ‘bored’?”

“His brain is closer to human than any other species!” the man cried, before sighing and shaking his head like he was clearing it. “Call it outlandish if you want, I know how it sounds, but nothing else explains his behavior as soundly.”

“That’s only because you’ve barely defined-”

Roman tuned out the two’s babble as his attention turned fully to the creature still floating there behind glass. It certainly looked bored, in Roman’s unscientific opinion. It was still circling, body slowly undulating up and down like a whale. Occasionally, it would glance through the window again, like it was waiting for a cue or a dismissal or anything at all.

Then, the thing’s eyes landed on him, and, despite Vaughn’s warnings, Roman met its gaze. Roman wasn’t about to be intimidated, certainly not by a fish. Though, the longer he looked in its eyes, the harder it was for Roman to think of it that way. It was frowning at him, pondering him, at the same time as Roman pondered back. It almost looked- concerned. Curious.

Then it reached up and touched its own cheek, sliding a hand over its lips in a thoughtful manner. Roman would have scowled if he could have. So that was how it was.

And it seemed he wasn’t the only one who had taken notice.

“He does readily recognize faces,” Vaugn informed him with an uncomfortable cough. “We’ve tested his reactions to familiar and foreign faces.”

“I can see that,” Roman said, doing all he could to keep the ice out of his voice.

“Don’t take it too personally. To him, you’re novel stimulus, that’s all.”

Novel stimulus. That was a way of putting it. He wasn’t sure if he should have been more or less offended. And still the thing hadn’t stopped staring at him. He would have barked at it to piss off if he wasn’t supposed to be here for good PR.

As the other researchers continued their little spat, Vaughn subtly gestured towards a door on the other side of the room.

“Did you want to see the top?”

Well, he’d already wasted an evening in this place. No reason not to go all the way.

“Why not?” he said.

Roman was then ushered out into another spiraling hallway with even more observation space. As they rose, the fluorescent lighting from the top of the tank grew clearer and clearer.

“Do you usually have arguments like that?” Roman asked in the meantime.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it an argument,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “Professor Burke specializes in ethics as well as anatomy, and we brought him on for the former. It’s part of his job to question how we conduct ourselves. We want to conduct research while considering the welfare of this animal as much as possible.”

Welfare of the fish-boy. That was something you didn’t hear every day.

It wasn’t long until they reached another doorway. Per usual, Vaughn opened it for him and Roman stepped out into a linoleum lined walkway overlooking the huge, circular tank. Immediately, Roman was hit with the pungent odor of chlorine. The entire place carried the same scent, but it was plain and impossible to escape now. Roman had to stifle a cough as he made his way farther in.

A glass guard rail circled the water, with only a few entrance points onto half-submerged platforms. Surrounding the tank was diving equipment as well as buckets, brushes on poles, and what looked like pool nets. A single door led off from the room and Roman could only guess what it led to.

“How do you do cleaning?” he asked.

“We net the specimen off to one side of the tank and clean one half at a time. He’s not generally aggressive, but better safe than sorry.”

“He can’t get over?”

“He’s never tried, and I don’t believe he has the strength to lift himself over, nor the appropriate momentum to jump the barrier.

It sounded like a PR line to Roman, but who was he to judge when he was there for PR himself? If the savage animal did maul someone, that just gave him reason to pull funding.

He said nothing more, and instead stepped up to the water. He’d have been lying if he said it wasn’t intimidating. It was mostly light on the top, but Roman was unable to see the bottom at all for how dark it grew the deeper it went.

Vaughn seemed to sense his thoughts, and approached behind him to divulge.

“Part of the idea was to give them plenty of space to dive,” she explained. “Most places would only focus on the surface habits of these kinds of animals, but we wanted to try to understand beyond that.”

“So what have you found out?”

“Well, he generally prefers the upper levels. He is capable of air breathing, but we’re not sure if he has a different method of oxygen acquirement.” She hesitated for a moment before adding. “Sometimes he’ll dive to the bottom and lay there for extended periods without surfacing. Maybe he finds some pleasure in the high pressure environment, we’re not entirely certain yet.”

“Or he has nothing better to do,” Roman suggested. Given that that seemed to be true of everyone in the facility, why not the research subject too?

“It’s possible,” Vaughn conceded. “Enrichment isn’t emphasized right now because we’d like to create a relatively basic picture of this animal at this point.”

At that moment, Roman heard a buzz, and glanced to Vaughn. She slipped a phone out of her pocket, and glanced down at it.

“Uh, excuse me, Mr. Sionis,” she said with a polite nod. “I’ll be a moment. Feel free to poke around here.”

With that, she turned and exited back through the door they’d come in, leaving Roman to his own devices.

Roman didn’t move, just leaned up against the barrier and gazed down into the depths. It seemed like a waste, only having one animal in so much water. All he could see was vague movement somewhere down below, though, as he watched, it became less vague and more defined. More clearly belonging to the thing he knew dwelled below. 

It only got clearer, until Roman could clearly see the fish-boy circling below him in the shallows, this time on his front. The researchers must have finished with it. The scars Roman had seen before ran down its back too, but they didn’t seem to impede it at all. It moved just as well on its front, slowly pumping its tail like it didn’t really care to move at all.

Roman stood there, watching it for a long moment before the fish-boy turned over to do much of the same on its back. It kept on as normal for a bit before, for the second time that day, it turned its head and noticed Roman. The tail pumping stopped, and the two of them looked at each other for a long while.

Roman didn’t expect anything to come of it, novel stimulus and such. Yet instead of continuing on its way, the animal made a vertical U-turn before swimming straight up to Roman, bringing its head and shoulders out of the water to eye him more closely. Again, it brought one hand up to touch its face as it stared at Roman.

Just like that, Roman’s mood dropped. If there wasn’t a probability of cameras being all over the place, he might have jumped in to strangle the thing. So instead, he settled for vague threats.

“What are you looking at?” he growled.

It blinked at him, a white eyelid swiping to the side before the flesh lid came down. Its face scrunched up like he was thinking particularly hard about something. Roman snorted at the thought. He doubted that it thought about much more than when its next meal would be.

Then it opened its mouth, and in a clear, if stilted, chirp, it said, “Hel-lo.”

Roman felt a pit in his stomach. It- talked? Had it talked? Or did it just make sounds that seemed like speech? He wanted it to be the the latter, but he couldn’t help but think that it was the former

His thoughts were confirmed when it spoke again, still shaky and uncertain. “N-ight head- you.”

For a long moment, Roman stared the thing completely frozen. Had it really-? Did he just-? Roman didn’t know what to make of what he’d just heard.

“Dry,” it said, seemingly more confident.

Roman had no clue what it was trying to get across, but he couldn’t look away now. His silence only seemed to annoy the thing.

“Hello!” it repeated, louder now. It started slapping the water with one hand.

“Hello,” Roman finally replied, feeling equally ridiculous and fascinated.

“Night head,” it said once more, tipping its head. “What?”

“Keep calling me that and I’m gonna take your eyes out of your head,” Roman warned despite the situation.

That only seemed to confuse the thing. Its face scrunched up into an inquisitive stare, like he was trying to process and understand what had been said. He didn’t seem in the slightest bit intimidated by Roman’s tone or his face, just curious and uncertain. The way he’d have expected an animal with a glimmer of intelligence to be.

Just as that thought entered Roman’s mind, the door to the hallway swung open. Immediately, the creature ducked under the water and dashed away into the darkness.

“Apologies, Mr. Sionis,” Vaughn said as she walked back towards him. “I was needed for some deliberation. Did you have any questions?”

She stopped next to him, but Roman was standing stock still in place. He didn’t say anything, only stared at the patch of water where it had disappeared.

“Are you alright, sir?” she asked quietly after a moment, glancing from him to the tank and back.

“Is it supposed to talk?” Roman finally said. “Like a parrot?”

She gave him a long blink, but she stood up straight and stared at him with full attention “Pardon?”

“He- it talked to me, is that supposed to happen?”

He half-expected it to be some kind of trick they’d taught it to impress him, but her face said otherwise.

“That’s-” Her eyes struggled to focus on him, and Roman could about see the cogs turning in her head. “He should be capable, physically speaking, and we had tried to teach him, but… What did he say?”

“‘Hello’ twice, and then something like ‘You dry night head’.”

“Oh my God,” she breathed. “He’s- describing you. He remembered the vocabulary we tried to teach him.

She covered her mouth with one hand, gaze turned to the tank. “He can describe.”

“I noticed,” Roman mumbled, making the annoyance clear in his voice.

Vaughn seemed too lost in her own thoughts to care or even notice.

“If we can replicate that then-” She whipped her head back to look intently at him. “Mr. Sionis, would you be willing to volunteer some time to help us work with him? I know it’s sudden and a lot to ask, given your funding, but, if I may be frank, we’ve struggled to get anywhere at all with him. If he happens to like you, though, you might have more luck.”

“You think he likes me?” Roman asked, incredulous.

“Maybe not in any great sense, but, well, we here have all poked and prodded at him, tests, vaccines, one thing or another.” She hesitated, gesturing towards him with two fingers. “You, though, you’re a blank slate. And if he does like your company, even just an hour every few days could help.”

Vaughn was giving him wide, pleading eyes, manipulation plain as day.

“Never been much of an animal person,” he said, half-hoping that she would give up there.

“If what you’ve told me is true, he could be much more than just an animal.” Her tone took on a tender quality, usurping the clinical nature of how she’d spoken of the facility. “He is, quite possibly, our closest living relative, closer than any chimpanzee. The last of the hominin clade, us and him.”

Roman wasn’t sure what the hell a “clade” was, but she sounded serious about it.

Despite himself, he hesitated to answer. The obvious safe choice was a hard rejection. He had better things to be doing than spending time playing with their fish just to see what it might do. Then again, it wasn’t as though he’d be doing much, and an hour-long break from real work every so often wouldn’t be unwelcome. Plus, doing it pro bono would make it one more thing to add to his philanthropic contributions.

“Ah, what the hell?” he finally said with a sigh. “Alright, I’ll help you with your science project. Just don’t expect a miracle.”

“Thank you!” she said, seeming to light up before quashing the reaction. “We can discuss times once you’ve told Doctor Stroman about what happened.”

“You don’t think she’ll dismiss it offhand? She didn’t seem especially receptive to it being a smart beast.”

“She’s our lead researcher, not a tyrant, Mr. Sionis,” Vaughn said with a cheeky smile. “Everyone in your business might have to listen to you or else, but that’s not how studies get done.”

Roman would have snapped at her to watch what she said under any other circumstances. As it was, though, he was in a new place that he didn’t entirely understand, and he didn’t care to rock the boat. Vaughn was hardly a threat to his public image after all. As long as it was benefiting him, Roman would play by their rules.

He ignored the triumphant smile on the woman’s face, glancing instead over to the now placid pool, only a soft movement below betraying that something very much alive was still there, somewhere.

“Alright then,” he said. “Lead on.”


	2. Chapter 2

It took far too long for anyone to understand what had happened, let alone decide what to do next.

Roman recounted his experience to the facility staff more times than he would have liked, and was met with interest, skepticism, speculation, but not nearly enough ideas on how to proceed.

All of it reminded Roman too much of the board his father’s business had had. The one he’d liquidated all his influence in, then watched burn from the company he’d built from scratch. Too many talking heads with too many thoughts and not enough direction. He wanted with all of his being to take the helm, knew that, by all rights, he could, but Roman held himself back. It was pointless to demand a position of authority only to end up wasting energy organizing them. Better to sit back and watch the show.

“We should cultivate his speech first and foremost. It’s going to be the most efficient two-way system we’ll have. He might even start showing more interest.”

No matter who was talking, nothing seemed to change, and they always circled back to same things. Roman resisted the urge to tell them to just pick a damn direction already before he picked one for them.

“If he can talk to some degree, he can almost certainly sign, and it’ll be far more practical to teach him hand signals than phonics. Speech is much more difficult to accomplish underwater, after all.”

“I don’t see why both couldn’t be accomplished, in tandem even, one reinforcing the other.”

“That assumes he’s willing to learn from us at all. The Georgia team has already had success using methods similar to our own. He might just be- being difficult. Like a child.”

Much of the back and forth took place on the main observation deck. Roman had few options but to listen while he was there, or take a glance at the tank occasionally. Most of the time, all he saw was empty water, but occasionally, the thing showed its face.

It would come over and hang around the window, sometimes from farther back, sometimes pressing its cheek right up against the window, like it was listening closely to what was going on. By then, Roman knew that it could only hear what was happening on the deck if a microphone was activated, but it definitely looked invested.

The whole room did their best to ignore its presence. Roman caught a few of them looking at the window, only to duck their heads away a moment later. It seemed odd to Roman, to try to stay detached from something they all so desperately wanted to understand. He supposed he understood it in some intellectual sense; they didn’t want to spoil their research. As though they hadn’t already done exactly that by trying to study an ocean animal in a big, empty tank.

It was a week before any decision was made. The next Monday, Roman was finally asked to do something.

He’d been asked to wait for their final deliberation up at the top of the tank, and left there to stare down at the water until Dr. Stroman came up to debrief him.

“We’d like you to present him some basic words and signs so we can record the results,” she informed him simply.

That was it? _That_ was what it took a week to come up with? Roman would have bitten this woman’s head off and then some if she worked directly for him.

Instead, he took the less direct route. “I take it you tried as much and it didn’t go so well?”

“He’s been unresponsive,” she said, her vagueries not escaping Roman.

“And I’m your last line of defense.”

With an impatient sigh, she asked, “Will you do it or not?”

Roman drew his shoulders up and took a step towards her, not once breaking eye contact. He let his voice drop into a low warning as he spoke, “I will, and you should consider it a favor that I will.” 

Unsurprisingly, Stroman drew back in response, avoiding his eyes, and giving a complacent nod.

He stepped back, not even looking at her anymore. “Do I need to know anything else?”

“Well, you’ll want a wetsuit.”

*****

Roman was very quickly regretting his agreement to help these people at all.

As it turned out, the unknown door led to a locker room of sorts, specifically for changing into wet wear. It was generally used by cleaning staff, but now Stroman and Burke had decided that the best way for Roman to really interact with the thing was to let him get up close and personal. Roman supposed that he didn’t want to harm any of his suits with chlorinated water if he didn’t need to, but, then again, the provided wetsuits were, in a word, painful. Not necessarily in terms of comfort - Roman’s wetsuit fit him just fine - but the colors, the material, everything about it made Roman feel tacky. He only managed to step back out into the main tank room through sheer force of will.

Vaughn was there, waiting on him, a clipboard in hand, and glanced his way as the door opened.

“Mr. Sionis,” she greeted him. “You’re ready? No problems with the suit?”

Roman was tempted to respond with sarcasm, but resisted. It wasn’t her fault that whoever had selected the wetsuits had clearly been given a strict budget.

“None at all,” he gritted out. “I’m ready.”

“Good, good.”

She turned and gestured for him to follow before walking towards the tank.

“Avoid initiating direct contact and keep your arms and legs on the platform,” Vaughn instructed him as she unlatched one of the doors around the tank. “He is more powerful than any person in the water, and we can’t predict how he’ll react to your presence.”

Of course, getting up close and personal had to come with some strings attached on top of the unfortunate wetsuits.

“You think he’ll grab me and try to drown me?” Roman somehow doubted that that would happen, but he couldn’t miss an opportunity to hold her feet to the fire.

“We’ve done this before a few times and he hasn’t tried to hurt anyone. And even if he does, each platform has metal bars just underneath you can hold onto should you find yourself in the water.” She then gestured around to the cameras that had been set up, latched atop various points on the plexiglass fence. “We’ll be monitoring the whole time from multiple angles, and if anything goes wrong, help is less than a minute away.”

“Don’t I feel safe,” Roman muttered. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Not as far as safety. You remember all the words and signs?”

“Yes. It would be difficult for me to forget.”

“Then we’re all set. I’ll leave the door unlatched should you need or want to exit at any time.”

Roman supposed that that was his cue to step in. It was solid at least, with only a bit of water lapping at its lower step.

Vaughn pushed the door closed behind him before promptly making her exit. Roman was left alone in the room with only the sound of humming pipes and lapping water. Now, he waited.

And waited. With nothing else to do, and no way to tell if the thing was going to come up to look at him, all Roman could do was stand. Glancing down at himself, Roman wondered why he’d agreed to come back at all.

It felt like hours before Roman finally caught a silhouette circling up towards him. The movement grew faster as it came closer, until Roman could make out the fish-boy’s shape, and, finally, it broke the surface with its head. It peered up at him, chin only just breaking water, before a smile crossed his face.

“Hello!” it chirped, still stilted, but less so than before. It paddled up to look up towards him, lifting its shoulders out of the body as well.

Roman his chest lighten a bit as it spoke. Compared to the R&D rejects, fish-boy was a breath of fresh air, chlorine and all.

“Hello,” Roman replied, before remembering to complement the word with its abstract motion: an odd, salute like gesture.

The fish-boy looked at him, something between confusion and disappointment reading heavily in his face. It took a moment, but he mimicked the gesture, lacking any of his previous energy as he did so.

“Hello,” he repeated, voice drained of enthusiasm as well.

Roman paused a moment, regretting even more now that he’d agreed to do what the researchers had told him. Despite that, he lifted his arms to started on the second, holding his palms flat vertically.

“Wha-”

He didn’t get any further than that.

It was in that split-second that everything became clear to Roman. The kid was looking at Roman like he was nuts, and Roman felt pretty nuts too. He’d never worked well following someone else’s lead. Why was he going that route now?

“Alright,” he declared, taking in a deep breath and lowering his arms. “That’s enough of that.”

Carefully, Roman knelt down before arranging himself so that his calves were fully submerged and he sat on the edge of the platform. Jason was still giving him the same wary look, but he wasn’t making to grab. Overall, Roman felt less completely insane.

“Hey there,” he greeted.

Fish-boy edged toward him then, stopping every pace to take an extra look at Roman. It was like it fully expected to be struck at and betrayed every step of the way, and, well, Roman couldn’t blame it for that. He’d be suspicious too if he was carted off from his home and put into a strange cylinder.

Finally, it was just in reach, but Roman kept to himself, and took in the sight of it up close. If he didn’t know any better, Roman would have said that he was just looking at a swimming young man. But no, it was a strange, vocal merman who seemed to have taken an interest in Roman.

It blinked up at him, and, at this distance, Roman could finally see that its eyes were a clear blue. He could have been a handsome young thing if he wasn’t destined for the science side show.

“I’m Roman,” he finally said, touching his own chest and enunciating clearly. “Ro-man.”

“Roman,” it repeated back to him, clear as day.

It could mimic what Roman said, that much was obvious. That wasn’t really what the peanut gallery wanted, though, Roman was well-aware. He had to dig deeper. In that spirit, Roman reached forward, as slowly as he could, until he pointed at, but didn’t quite touch its chest.

“You?”

It stared down at his hand for a moment, blinking, before turning up with a smile. It pushed forward just slightly, enough so that Roman’s fingertips touched him.

“Jason,” it said confidently. “I Jason.”

Roman swallowed thickly, trying not to give away his surprise. He couldn’t rightly call Jason an “it” anymore, could he? Jason had identified himself with a name, and Roman didn’t have the heart to deny him that much.

“Jason,” Roman murmured. “You Jason.”

At that simple word, a grin spread across Jason’s face. He laughed, and reached out, touching Roman’s chest with both hands.

“Roman,” Jason said once more, this time with an air of wonder to it.

Roman flinched at the sudden contact, something he’d expected in Jason, but never from himself. Still, Jason wasn’t deterred. He only got closer and more curious, running his hands across Roman’s wetsuit like he was in a trance. Roman could only just force himself to relax and let Jason touch. He’d been in what was practically a sensory deprivation chamber for God only knew how long, and even something as simple as a touch was liable to endear Jason to him that much more.

What did Roman care if Jason liked him or not? He had better things to be doing than playing with a fish.

Roman was pulled out of that thought as he felt a touch under his chin. Jason’s hands had wandered further north than Roman had intended him to. On reflex, Roman slapped them away.

Jason retracted immediately, shrinking back down into the water. He held his hands close to chest, and glanced from Roman to where he’d been struck.

Roman hesitated to move just then, for any purpose. He was used to punching and slapping when he was dealing with his lackeys, but Jason was something else. Compared a useless thug, Jason was delicate and sensitive and greener than a schoolboy. He’d likely only need a few sharp words to set him straight, as opposed to Roman usual methods.

“Hey,” Roman murmured to him, keeping his voice soft.

He reached out with both hands, offering them to Jason. Roman spoke softly, not minding what he said so much as his tone.

“It’s alright. Was just surprised. C’mon.”

Jason hesitated, suspicion clear in his eyes. If the wheels in a brain were a clock, this one would be ticking overtime. Would Roman be one of the good ones, or just another land ape to steer clear of?

Sooner or later, though, Jason conceded and reached up to meet Roman’s hands with his own. He eyed Roman all the while, as though he fully expected a trick to be unveiled at any time. As such, Roman kept near-still for a long while before ever-so-slightly guiding Jason’s hands back towards himself. The hesitance and tension was palpable, yet Jason allowed himself to be led along. Jason swallowed as his palms were pressed just Roman’s chest.

They didn’t speak the same language or even live in the same world, but Roman knew that the kid was nervous, even if he wanted the contact like water in a desert. It paid to know more than a few things about how people are, even when one was dealing with fish boys.

With all the care he could manage, Roman guided Jason’s hands up his body, but gently this time. He facilitated more full, sweeping movements, asking Jason to take in what he was touching. Jason seemed to catch on, at least some of his uncertainty melting into fascination.

A wave of anxiety passed across Roman himself as he dared to run Jason’s hands up to his neck, then his face. Once they were positioned just under his temples, Roman let his arms fall to his sides, giving a simple cue that he trusted Jason. Far as he could tell, Jason bought it.

“Roman,” Jason said, a strange, telling mix of bewilderment and awe in his voice.

He ran his thumbs down Roman’s cheeks, feeling the indents and bones there. His eyes stared unblinking as he felt up and down, back and forth.

Jason’s exploration gave Roman time to take a long look at Jason, up close at last. He could pick out specific scars across Jason’s front now, some that resembled long scratch marks, others wide shark bites, and still others that resembled human teeth. Not particularly peaceful creatures, it seemed. Probably why the team had been so thorough with safety precautions. Though, it seemed a lot like Jason got beat up more than he beat anyone else up.

Roman let Jason carry on feeling at his face for a long while before his hands slipped away and back down into the water. He still stared up at Roman, only blinking on occasion like Roman might disappear if he looked away. It was as good a time as any to call it enough for the day.

“I have to go now, Jason,” he said, moving to stand up very slowly. 

As soon as he moved, Jason reached out to grab him by his hands. Roman tensed, fully expecting this to be the moment when it tried to drown him. But Jason didn't pull him down, only back to where he’d been.

“When? When come?” he asked before repeating in a dejected whimper, “When?”

A pit formed in Roman's stomach hearing Jason- beg. That was new, but, at the same time, it wasn’t often that anyone or anything wanted to know when he’d be back to check in. Roman had to tell him something. Otherwise, he might actually end up a drowning victim.

He wasn't sure if Jason would understand days or weeks or even hours. So he settled on the simplest thing he could think of. The one thing that he hadn't wanted to agree to.

“I’ll be back to see you tomorrow. You know tomorrow?”

“To-morrow,” Jason repeated back, his frown shifting from desperate to understanding as he let go. “Yes.”

With that, Roman knew that he’d just promised hours of his life away. Roman wasn’t above going back on promises, but he had a sinking feeling that this case wouldn’t end up that way.

“Tomorrow,” Roman said once more. “Soon.”

Jason stared after him as he got to his feet, and stepped out from over the tank. He shut the door behind him and, with a measured urgency, went and got changed again. There was absolutely no way that he’d wear the wetsuits on offer for any longer than necessary.

He had Jason’s trust. That was the most important takeaway from the entire encounter. Jason would tolerate him more than anyone else, and that was all he really needed. The research team needed him now, if only because he could convince Jason to play nice with him.

With his dignity restored, Roman headed back down to the main observation deck where the team would be waiting.

As soon as Roman stepped into the room, he was met with Stroman’s shrill reprimand.

“What was that?!” she demanded, taking a few steps toward him. “He could have easily hurt you, or you him!”

“If you wanted me out, you could have pulled me out,” Roman bit back. “Whatever the risk was, it paid off. He has a name.”

She set her jaw, but, if the pause was any indication, couldn’t think of a good argument.

“That’s what it seems, yes,” she conceded. “An approximation of one, anyway.”

“How long exactly have you all been at this?” Roman asked, addressing the rest of the room now.

Some uncomfortable shuffling of feet gave Roman the answer he needed: too long.

“Three months,” Vaughn spoke up at last. “He’s been here for three months, and most of what we’ve found out pertains to his physical anatomy and husbandry.”

“At least someone around here can give me a straight answer,” Roman said. “That’s not really what any of you want, is it? You want a look at his mind.”

More uncomfortable shuffling of feet and a cough before Stroman spoke again.

“Yes, neurological capabilities are our primary interests,” she allowed, glancing around at her team.

Much of the room nodded along with her words, apparently also long-aware of the facility’s truest purpose. That settled it then.

“That’s what I thought. In that case-” he said, raising his voice so that the whole room could hear him as well with no need to strain. “First, I’m not waiting another week just so you all can deliberate over whether I should so much as cough in his presence. You saw as well as I did that he didn’t want any scripted bullshit, so let me talk to him my way.”

No one spoke up in protest. Stroman was wearing a deep frown, but, once again, she couldn’t seem to find any reason to deny him.

“Fine then. You interact with him your way, and we’ll observe.” She paused before adding pointedly, “Just know that you do so at your own risk.”

She was starting to get the picture here. About time.

Roman continued on, “And another thing, I’m not wearing one of your wetsuits again. You send me your specs, I’ll get my own swimwear made.”

“I’ll get you that ASAP,” a fellow sitting at one of the computers told him. If Roman didn’t know any better, he’d say the guy was relieved that these were his only demands.

“Good,” Roman said with a firm nod. “Then I will see you all tomorrow.”

And with that he turned on his heel and exited the room. In the cold, sterile hallways leading out of the facility, it was a little hard to ignore how much he was sticking his neck out for these people. For Jason. He’d come out of necessity, not to get wrapped up into spending time with a fish. Yet still, he’d agreed to come back the next day.

With a shake of his head, he broke through the final boundary to the outside, hoping the fresh air would clear his head.

Roman was coming back so that they’d all owe him something. He was there for tactical interests. That was it. He’d be damned if he would let anything in that facility get under his skin.


End file.
